Taipo: Momo and a Speakeasy Bring a Taste of Nepal to Arlington

Rachel Puri and Riza Rawal became friends during the pandemic. Both were college students, new to Dallas, bored and yearning for their native-Nepali food. They channeled all that energy into several projects like selling masks, bags and shoes from Nepal.

Those endeavors didn't quite fulfill their ambition, so they decided on "a restaurant thing," as Puri recalls.

"Riza loves cooking," Puri says. "That's what she always wanted to do. Pretty much everything on the menu, the cocktails, it's all her."

The two believed there was a lack of Nepalese food in North Texas, especially given the large Nepalese community. So they spent two years crafting their plan, which initially was just a restaurant that picked up a plus-one along the way: a speakeasy.

Rawal worked on recipes and Puri worked on the broader concept, including some quite amazing decor, much of which Puri's father sourced in Nepal and shipped to Arlington. All told, it weighed more than 1.5 tons.

Part 1: Tiffany Blue

These authentic art pieces aren't noticeable when one enters Taipo — in fact, it's a complete contradiction of sorts: the front space is bathed in a Tiffany blue, from the walls to the trash cans and custom-made booths. Puri liked the elegant brand identity the color channels.

"This," she says pointing to the cushion banquette that lines the wall just a touch darker than everything else, "It bothers me so much. I couldn't find the teal color that matched everything else."

She admits they're both perfectionists and spent a lot of time on details, which is quite advantageous for diners and drinkers.
The small dining room is standard, with just a handful of tables for dining in (all food is served in to-go containers). There's a small window to order and pick up food. But look left and you'll see a unique doorway, which is the artwork of the native Newar people of Katmandu: an ornately carved wooden door and frame topped with intricate crown, one of the items shipped by Puri's dad.

Part 2: Buddhist Prayer Wheels

There are no signs above the door, or outside the restaurant for that matter, announcing the large bar behind the restaurant. But walking through the double door from Nepal you'll see a dim hallway lined with Buddhist prayer wheels, also shipped from Nepal. Spin the wheels for wisdom and good karma, or a nice cocktail at least.
The prayer wheel hallway leads to an entirely different concept — a moody, dark cocktail bar. The speakeasy wasn't originally part of the plan; their contractor showed the two this space the day they were supposed to sign a lease in a strip center in another part of Arlington. They saw the potential of a restaurant and bar, catering to a college crowd and the offices nearby and residents that tower over the space.

"First we were like, fast food is killable, we can go fast," Puri says. "That's kind of what we wanted to do. But a bar on the other hand was something we thought we would do in the future. (...) a lot of things came together for both to happen."

Momo and Noodles

While the space and art within are interesting, the food is what drew us in. An online menu is straightforward, with four main sections: momo, taipo, stir fry and a chef's special. You can (and should) order something from each, which will run you about $40. And it's enough for three or four meals. So, yes, do that.

The namesake taipo dumplings are mandatory. These from-scratch oversized fried dumplings with a hint of peppercorn and scent of daikon are tender inside with a slightly crisp shell. They're served two to an order, with your choice of pork, beef, chicken or potato. 
Dig into the stir fry section, which includes Keema noodles, fried rice, chili with rice and chow mein, again with several protein options. We went with ground pork with Keema noodles packed with spices. This might (might) be the dish we dream about the most, punching the noodles with a fork to grab clumps of chili, ground beef then twirling all together. Served in a big paper bowl, it travels well and was still warm at home 15 minutes later. The next day, reheated in a skillet, it was even better.

Momo here are served 12 to a dish and can be ordered much like wings with four filling options and six different spices/flavors, either fried or pan-seared. We tried the pork momo, pan-seared and bathed in a chili sauce, brilliant with flavor.

The chef's special was a chicken butter masala sandwich that should be ashamed of itself for showboating in front of all this wonderful Nepalese food. There are three variations under the chef's special menu: grilled cheese, spicy chicken and butter masala.

Final Act: The Speakeasy

On another night we wound our way to the speakeasy in the back, cozy and dark, the opposite of the bright restaurant in front. There's more art sourced from Nepal, including large tiles hovering over the bar and a stunning gold Buddha statue holding court at the center stage.

Imbibers at the bar can order food from Taipo, but the speakeasy has a menu of small plates of Nepali-influenced fare, including Himalayan beef. Large crispy but gooey cheeseballs are a perfect bar snack. (We failed to take note of the exact description, but we can assure you are worth the $9.)

Classic cocktails have slight twists, like an old fashioned made with a smoky Suntori. A Darjeeling Chai is reminiscent of a White Russian with Tito's, Kahlua, cream and chai ($16).

From momo to chai cocktails and every interesting temptation in between, Taipo in Arlington is a Nepalese wonderland.

Taipo. 200 E. Abram St., No. 140, Arlington. Sunday – Wednesday, 11 a.m – midnight; Thursday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 2 a.m.